Tehillim 67 – The Secret of King David’s Shield
Tehillim 67 – The Secret of King David’s Shield
There is a tradition passed down from Rabbeinu Chida that King David inscribed Tehillim 67 on his shield in the form of a Menorah, and that this was a segula for victory—his enemies would fall before him when they looked at this shield.
What, then, is the secret of this Psalm, and what gave King David such strength and protection?
The 67th Psalm begins with the words: "אלוקים יחננו ויברכנו" - (May G-d be gracious to us and bless us).
Our Chazal teach that in the word יחננו—the root חן - lies the foundation and key to the entire prayer. The Torah teaches us that all of humanity was saved in the merit of the tzadik Noah and his quality of חן (grace).
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, in Likutei Moharan, explains that all spiritual and physical needs depend on prayer and the quality of חן. He teaches that because of the sins of our people, our חן (grace) in the eyes of Hashem was lost, and this grace passed to the nations of the world.
Rabbi Nachman teaches that the key to restoring Hashem’s favor is through Torah and Tefillah (prayer). This is the secret of the letters ח “chet” and the letter נ “nun” in the word חן. He explains that the letter ח “chet” is associated with Chochmah (Torah), while the letter “nun” is associated with Tefillah (prayer). In Kabbalah, the letter “nun” is a code word for the sefirah of Malchut (Kingship), since a king’s power lies in his voice and speech, which he uses to govern.
The wisdom of the Torah has its source in Heaven. The purpose of a person who lives according to the Torah and in prayer is to bring this Divine wisdom down into the world.
Prayer accomplishes this because it expresses the state of a person below, relating to Hashem above. A person praises the Almighty Creator in all His Majesty and Mercy, and then tells Him about his personal needs, suffering, and pain in the physical world below. It is this sacred speech that unites Heaven and earth. This combination of Torah (Wisdom) + Prayer = חן, Divine grace.
This is the secret of Tehillim 67 and the secret of King David’s segula. "אלקים יחננו ויברכנו" —the first word of this song is a request for חן, and with חן - we are then blessed. Sefer Yismach Yisrael explains that חן is the quality of a Jew who expects nothing in return from G-d, but serves Hashem lishmah (out of love for Him).
(Rav Avraham Apatow, “Adat Yisrael” http://dafyomireview.com/advisor-files/Tehillim_67-King_Davids_Segula_of_Protection_FINAL.pdf
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Tags: Tehillim 67, Tehillim 67 and the Secret of the Shield of King David, Shield of David, Tehillim 67 in the Form of a Menorah
